Resiliently reacting deformable wheel



1, 1950 G. FRECHET 2,511,475

RESILIENTLY REACTING DEFORMABLE WHEEL Filed Jan. 31, 1947 4 SheetS-Sheet 1 G. FRECHET RESILIENTLY REACTING DEFORMABLE WHEEL Aug.- l, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 31, 1947 Aug. 1, 1950 G. FRE'CHET 2,517,475;

RESILIENTLY REACTING DEFORMABLE WHEEL Filed Jan. 31, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 27 3 5 o G o D 1? Che-Z;

Aug. 1, 1950 ca. FRECHET RESILIENTLY REACTING DEFORMABLE WHEEL 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Jan. 31. 1947 H K z lzz/v $127601 Patented Aug. 1, 1950 RESILIENTLY REACTING DEFCIRMABLE WHEEL Gabriel Frchet, Paris, France Application January 31. 1947, Serial No. 725,416 In France April 28, 1939 1 Claim.

.The present invention has for its object a. resiliently reacting deformable wheel which is intended to provide the vehicles on which such wheels are mounted with all desirable flexibility of travel without having recourse to pneumatic tires.

The wheel according to the invention is characterised by the fact that the hub and the rim are connected to one another by means of resilient connections which enable the reactions of the ground to be absorbed by a relative movement of the hub and the rim.

The essential member of said resilient connections comprises a set of elements forming pistons and cylinders, which are arranged radially between the hub and the rim. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, this set of elements is used in combination with a pivotally mounted spring system which is also arranged between the hub and the rim.

The accompanying drawings show, by way of example, the resiliently reacting deformable wheel according to the invention.

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic sectional view of a wheel in which the resilient connections exclusively comprise elements forming cylinders and pistons.

Fig. 2 is the same view, shown in the position nections comprise cylinder and piston elements,

in combination with pivotally mounted spring systems.

Fig. 4 is an elevational view, in partial section, of a modification of the embodiments shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 shows, on a larger scale, the detail of an element of the device according to Fig. 3.

Figs. 6, 7 and 8 show respectively modifications of the manner of construction of the piston elements.

In the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 and 2, in which I is the hub of the wheel and 2 the rim, a set of rods 3 which are pivoted at 4 to the rim 2 form pistons in cylinders 5 which are pivoted at 6 to the hub I. Slide tubes I which are pivoted at 8 effect fluid-tightness in the relative movement of the pistons and their respective cylinders.

The cylinders 5 may be arranged as compressed air cylinders, in which case the pistons 3 are provided with sealing rings, or said cylinders may be arranged with opposing springs 9 (as shown in Fig. 2), or they may at the same time be compressed air cylinders provided with springs.

The rim 2 is provided with a tire I 0 which may be a solid tire, the resilience of the wheel being exclusively obtained by means of the damped relative movement of the pistons 3 in the cylinders 5.

Fig. 3 shows a practical embodiment of the wheel according to the invention. A set of tubular members II which are articulated at I2 on swivels provided on the hub I can slide with a running fit respectively in tubular members I3 which are articulated at I4 on swivels provided on the rim 2. An opposing spring I5 is mounted internally between each of the pairs of tubular members II--I3.

On the other hand articulated lozenges, formed by flat steel bars I6, are mounted between swivels I1 of the hub I and swivels I8 of the rim 2, opposing springs I9 being arranged between the joints 20--2I opposite the joints I'I-I8. Fig; 3 only shows the articulated lozenges mounted on one of the faces of the wheel, but is is understood that a similar set is provided on the opposite face, symmetrically with respect to the row of resilient members provided with pistons I II 3.

Fig. 4 shows a modification of the embodiment shown in Fig. 3. This modification comprises the same pairs of tubular members III3, but the resilient system outside said tubular members comprises pairs of springs 22-4211, one end of which is fixed to a Y-shaped part 23 fixed at 24 to the rim 2 and the other end of which is fixed to a rod 25 which is pivoted at 26 to the rim 2 and which forms, at its opposite end, a slideway 2! inside which can slide a head 28 mounted on the hub I. As in the previous embodiment,a row of similar members is arranged, symmetrically to the first row, on the opposite face of the wheel.

Fig. 5 shows the detail, on a larger scale, of the assembly of resilient members of the device according to Fig. 4. This figure shows in particular the detail of the mounting of the solid tire III, which is fixed by means of a retaining plate 29 and bolts 30. On the other hand, lubricating ducts are provided inside the pivots of the swivels I2 and I4.

Figs. 6 to 8 show various modifications of the method of construction of the resilient members.

According to the method of construction shown in Fig. 6, the piston II is used to compress a fluid in the chamber 32 of the cylinder I3; saidpiston II is provided with ports 33 for the fluid to pass through during the compression or the'suction and with sealing rings 34 between its outer surface and the inner surface of the cylinder I3.

Fig. 'I shows a piston and cylinder system with a double spring I5 and Ilia; Fig. 8 another modithe system automaticall tends to return to its It can be mounted on any vehicle, whatever be I the shape of the hub. As regards trucks, it has the advantage of making it unnecessary to use twin wheels and spare wheels.

The system of resilient members may be conceale'd in a case which shields said members from' 4 impurities; for example, said case may comprise two hermetically closing plates mounted on each of the two faces of the wheel.

I claim:

In a resilient wheel, a hub, a rim, two interengaged sets of tubular members respectively pivoted to the hub and rim, springs confined between the members of the sets, groups of links connecting the hub and rim at both sides of the sets of tubular members, each of said groups including four links pivotally connected together to present a quadrangular figure having two of the diagonally opposite corners pivotally connected to the hub and rim, and a, spring confined between the two remaining diagonally opposite corners of each group of links.

GABRIEL FREcHE-T.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,090,797 Short Mar. 17, 1941 1,177,435 Musa Mar. 28, 1916 1,416,978 Taylor May 16, 1922 1,446,932 Salus Feb. 27, 1923 1,704,120 Bullum Mar. 5, 192-9 

